March April pages_SI new design masters 2/1/12 12:09 PM Page 23 [NOTES ON A STRANGE WORLD M A S S IMO P OL IDOR O Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the paranormal, lecturer, and cofounder and head of CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. His website is at www.massimopolidoro.com. The Day Houdini (Almost) Came Back from the Dead fter magician and skeptic Harry but it came too late. Aside from this have included the word forgive. Further - Houdini died on October 31, there are one or two trivial inaccura- more, it was not true, as the “spirit” of cies—Houdini’s mother called him A 1926, scores of mediums claimed Houdini’s mother had said, that “no one Ehrich—there was nothing in the they had received a genuine message message which could be contradicted. else in all the world” besides her, Hou- from the “soul” of the once-great skep- I might also say that this is the first dini, and Bess knew of the word; at the tic and medium-basher. However, they message which I have received which time of her death, in fact, her magician could offer no convincing proof for has an appearance of truth. son was touring Europe with his wife. such a fantastic claim. An apparently The son who was at Mrs. Hou dini’s more convincing candidate, however, deathbed was Theodore. soon appeared on the scene. The name A few months later, on January 5, of the medium was Arthur Ford (1897– 1929, Ford announced that he had re- 1971), a pastor of the First Spiritualist ceived the tenth and final code word of Church in New York City. a message from Houdini. The following Ford claimed that on February 8, day, accompanied by members of his 1928, he went into a trance and, talking church, Ford went to Payson Avenue, in the voice of “Fletcher,” his spirit where Bess had moved after Houdini’s guide, he said that a woman identifying death. They found Bess lying on a herself as the mother of Harry Houdini couch, suffering from a fall down a was anxious to speak. The spirit stated flight of stairs—probably provoked by a that her son, Harry, had hoped for years drinking habit she had developed. In an to receive one particular word from her, account written for the New York the word forgive, and added that “his Evening Graphic before Ford’s visit, Bess wife knew the word, and no one else in was described as being in a “semidelir- all the world knew it.” ium,” calling for Hou dini to return. She Forgive was, presumably, the last blacked out from time to time and was word uttered by Houdini’s mother on “under constant care of physicians.” It her deathbed and did probably refer to was in this state, then, that Ford’s mes- one of Houdini’s brothers, Leopold, sage was read to her; it stated: “Ros- who had been “guilty” of marrying A poster for Houdini's campaign against fraudulent mediums. abelle, answer, tell, pray-answer, look, Sadie, the ex-wife of Nathan, another tell, answer-answer, tell.” Houdini brother. To the magician, this Ford’s supporters announced that Bess’s A séance was fixed for January 8, behavior had appeared morally inexcus- letter confirmed the authenticity of the shortly after noon. Ford went into a able and led to the “removal” of Leopold message, since the word forgive could trance and began speaking through from his life. He could have not forgiven only be known by Houdini, his mother, what he claimed was Houdini’s voice. his brother unless his mother told him and his wife. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The voice repeated the message and to; however, her death came before the typically, considered the message gen- then said: “Thank you, sweetheart, now matter could be discussed. uine and “an outstanding case.” The take off your wedding ring and tell On learning of Ford’s message, Bess public, however, remained skeptical. The them what ‘Rosabelle’ means.” Bess, promptly wrote the following to Ford: press, in fact, reported that the keyword lying on a sofa, took off her ring and Strange that the word forgive is the had already appeared in print nearly a began to sing: “Rosabelle, sweet Ros- word Houdini awaited in vain all of year before, on March 13, 1927, in the abelle, I love you more than I can tell. his life. It was indeed the message for Brooklyn Eagle. In an interview she had Over me you cast a spell. I love you, my which he always secretly hoped, and if had been given to him while he was given to the paper, Bess had specified sweet Rosabelle.” still alive, it would I know have that any authentic communication pur- Ford, still speaking as Houdini, ex - changed the entire course of his life— porting to come from Houdini would plained that “Rosabelle” was the song Skeptical Inquirer | March/April 2 012 2 3 March April pages_SI new design masters 2/1/12 12:09 PM Page 24 (The medium) insisted that Bess issue another statement (endorsing the veracity of the message). It was written on Bess’s personal stationery but by someone else, as the handwriting reveals. m o c . f l e s m i h i n i d u o h / / : p t t h : sung by his wife in their early days. The Double-digit letters were indicated by o t o h other code letters in the message combinations of the code words. For p formed the word “believe.” Before leav- example, the fourteenth word, N, would A portrait of Houdini with his wife, Bess. ing, the purported voice of Houdini be signaled by the phrase “pray (1), now said: “Spare no time or money to undo (4).” In Ford’s message the nine words Bess, however, had stated to the New my attitude of doubt while on earth. following “Rosabelle” formed the word York World on January 9: “I had no idea Now that I have found my way back, I Believe in this manner: Answer (B), tell what combination of words Harry can come often sweetheart. Give your- (E), pray-answer (L), look (I), tell (E), would use and when he sent ‘believe’ it self to placing the truth before all those answer-answer (V), tell (E). was a surprise.” Also, the fact that Hou- who have lost the faith and want to take Ford’s group insisted that Bess issue dini had had four lines of the song hold again. Believe me, life is continu- another statement. It was written on “Rosabelle” engraved inside Bess’s wide ous. Tell the world there is no death. I Bess’s personal stationery but by some- gold wedding ring was hardly a secret. will be close to you. I expect to use this one else, as the handwriting reveals. She instrument [Ford] many times in the was then asked to sign it. It read: “Re- “The Message is a Hoax!” future. Tell the world, sweetheart, that gardless of any statements made to the Two days after the séance, the notorious Harry Houdini lives and will prove it a contrary, I wish to declare that the mes- scandal-sheet, the New York Evening thousand times.” sage in its entirety and in the agreed- Graphic, headlined: “HOUDINI MES- The secret code was the one used by upon sequence, given to me by Arthur SAGE A BIG HOAX!—‘Séance’ Pre- Houdini and Bess when, in the early Ford is the correct message pre-arranged arranged by ‘Medium’ and Widow.” days of their career, they used to present between Mr. Houdini and myself.” The allegation was that Bess herself in their show a telepathy act similar to Not everybody was convinced, how- had given Ford the code in order to others of the time. The code consisted ever. Magician, mentalist, and friend of promote a lecture tour that the two of ten units with each unit standing for Houdini Joseph Dunninger went to were supposed to do together. The a digit and each digit, in turn, represent- Bess’s house and reminded her that the news caused an uproar, and Bess, still ill, ing the position in the alphabet of a let- “secret code” had not been secret since wrote a moving letter to Walter ter in the coded message: its publication, the previous year, on Winchell, a columnist of the Evening Pray = 1 = A page 105 of Houdini, His Life Story, the Graphic: authorized biography written by Answer = 2 = B This letter is not for publicity, I do Harold Kellock and based on Bess’s not need publicity. I want to let Hou - Say = 3 = C “recollections and documents.” dini’s old friends know that I did not Now = 4 = D “I have seen it stated in the papers,” betray his trust. I am writing this personally because I wish to tell you Tell = 5 = E Doyle would later write to Kellock on this point, “that this accounts for Ford emphatically that I was no party to Please = 6 = F any fraud. getting a posthumous message. This, Now regarding the séance: For Speak = 7 = G however, I am sure you realize, is not cor- two years I have been praying to re- Quickly = 8 = H rect. It was not the cipher that formed ceive the message from my husband; for two years every day I have re- Look = 9 = I the test, but it was the message which was written in the cipher, and Ford could ceived messages from all parts of the Be quick = 10 or 0 = J world.